26 Hidden iOS 26 Tricks to Change How You Use Your iPhone

Apple released iOS 26 successful mid-September, bringing a scope of caller features and changes to iPhones crossed the globe. But not each of the included improvements person been showcased with Apple's emblematic fanfare, and galore are apt to person been overlooked.


Below, we've highlighted 26 lesser known additions and enhancements that could perchance alteration however you usage your iPhone connected a regular basis. Got immoderate favourite iOS 26 tips we haven't covered here? Let america cognize successful the comments conception astatine the extremity of this article.

1. New Background Sounds

Apple has added 8 caller Background Sounds successful iOS 26, including Babble, Steam, Airplane, Boat, Bus, Train, Rain On Roof, and Quiet Night. Add the Background Sounds power to Control Center to effort them out, oregon spell to Settings ➝ Accessibility ➝ Audio & Visual ➝ Background Sounds.

2. Tint Icons to Match iPhone Color

Apple's Home surface customization options tin lucifer the colour of your app icons with the carnal colour of your iPhone. Long property a abstraction connected your Home surface and pat Edit ➝ Customize. Then Choose Tinted and pat the far-left iPhone fastener nether the 2 horizontal colour sliders.

3. Reduce Loud Sounds

A caller "Reduce Loud Sounds" enactment successful Settings ➝ Sounds & Haptics compresses your iPhone speaker's measurement range, making large sounds softer portion preserving quieter details. If you often power betwixt apps with wildly antithetic measurement levels oregon ticker videos with inconsistent audio mixing, it could beryllium worthy enabling the toggle to amended your listening experience.

4. Selectively Copy Messages Text

When you pat and clasp connected immoderate connection bubble, a caller "Select" enactment present appears alongside the acquainted transcript and absorption choices, yet solving 1 of Messages' astir persistent frustrations. It allows you to item circumstantial portions of substance wrong a connection alternatively than copying the full message.

5. Send Photos Faster

Apple softly added a neat caller enactment that lets you nonstop smaller-sized previews of images implicit Messages truthful that recipients get them close away, earlier the full-resolution images arrive. Find the enactment successful Settings ➝ Apps ➝ Messages ➝ Send Low-Quality Photo Previews. If you're traveling with constricted cellular information oregon utilizing a metered information connection, the recipient lone gets a compressed preview mentation – ensuring the archetypal precocious solution representation doesn't hoover up your data.

6. Ask ChatGPT About Onscreen Content

Start by taking a screenshot: Quickly property and merchandise the iPhone's Side fastener and the Volume Up fastener astatine the aforesaid time. Then pat Ask to unfastened a substance container wherever you tin airs a question to ChatGPT astir the screenshot's contents. For example, you tin inquire for an mentation of a word oregon details astir an object.

7. Get a Callback Reminder for a Missed Call

Keeping way of missed calls tin beryllium challenging if you're juggling respective tasks during the day. In iOS 26, you tin acceptable callback reminders straight from the Phone app, making it little apt that you'll hide to instrumentality important calls. Tap the Calls tab, scroll down to Recents, past swipe near crossed a missed telephone and pat the bluish timepiece icon. Choose 1 of the following: Remind Me successful 1 hour, Remind Me Tonight, Remind Me Tomorrow, Remind Me Later...

8. Screen Messages From Unknown Senders

Apple successful iOS 26 provides much power implicit unwanted texts, separating spam messages from chartless senders into chiseled categories. In the Messages app, pat the filter paper icon successful the top-right country and Select Manage Filtering, past toggle connected Screen Unknown Senders successful Messages' settings. Once filtering is active, messages from contacts not saved successful your code publication automatically spell to the Unknown Senders section. You'll spot a fig successful brackets adjacent to Unknown Senders successful the filter paper indicating caller messages, but you won't person disruptive alerts.

9. Set a Custom Ringtone

Setting customized ringtones connected your iPhone is dramatically easier successful iOS 26. Open the Files app, agelong property an MP3 oregon M4A audio record that's little than 30 seconds long, pat Share, past take Use arsenic Ringtone. The alteration volition beryllium made immediately.

10. See Your Gaming Achievements

The caller Games app is divided into 4 tabs, including Home, Arcade, Play Together, and Library. The Library tab includes each of the games that you person played crossed each of your devices. The Library lets you spot each of your achievements successful 1 spot separated by game, with filters to abstracted them by platform.

11. Move Widgets to Bottom of Lock Screen

In iOS 18, the enactment of widgets connected your Lock Screen was virtually locked successful spot close beneath the clock. In iOS 26, however, Customize mode lets you resistance them down to the bottommost of the screen. The caller optional positioning makes tapping a widget during one-handed usage a batch easier.

12. Use AirPods arsenic Microphone When Shooting Video

You tin usage AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, oregon AirPods Pro 3 arsenic a wireless microphone successful the Camera app. With your AirPods successful your ears, unfastened the Camera app, power to Video mode, and unfastened Control Center. Tap Camera Controls astatine the top, pat Input, past prime your AirPods from the pop-up menu. When you're ready, property the stem connected your AirPods to statesman signaling video. When you're done, property your AirPods stem again to extremity the shoot.

13. Restore Safari's Old Layout

iOS 26 introduces a caller "Compact" Safari plan arsenic the default, but Apple has included 2 further layout options that fundamentally reconstruct the iOS 18 experience. Go to Settings ➝ Apps ➝ Safari, scroll down to the "Tabs" section, past prime either Bottom oregon Top alternatively of Compact. Both the Bottom and Top options relation precisely similar the Safari tab barroom layouts from iOS 18, truthful you don't request to relearn however to navigate betwixt tabs oregon entree your bookmarks.

14. Add a Reminder With Action Button

A "New Reminder" power lets you make tasks without opening the Reminders app. If you person an iPhone 15 Pro oregon newer, you tin delegate it to the Action button: Open Settings ➝ Action Button, past swipe to Controls and take New Reminder from the database of disposable actions. When you activate the New Reminder control, the Reminders app isn't really opened. Instead, iOS 26 displays a compact popup sheet that includes everything you request to make a task: you tin prime the Reminders List, adhd a note, the date, location, and a flag.

15. Keep iPhone Camera Lens Clean

Apple has a adjuvant caller diagnostic that notifies you erstwhile your iPhone's camera lens needs cleaning – thing Android devices person offered for years. Go to Settings ➝ Camera and toggle connected Lens Cleaning Hints. Now whenever your iPhone's camera is active, it volition show the incoming airy for signs of reduced clarity oregon smudging that could bespeak a soiled lens. When triggered, you'll spot a discrete alert suggesting you cleanable your camera lens to amended representation quality.

16. Control Game Settings

When you commencement a game, Game Mode is activated. If you pat into Control Center wrong Game Mode, you'll spot an "Overlay" option. Tap that and you tin spot leaderboards, invitation friends to play, and power crippled settings similar dependable level, show brightness, and controller parameters.

17. Save Physical Card Details successful Wallet

Apple's Wallet app present lets you store carnal paper accusation alongside your integer outgo cards. Open the Wallet app connected your iPhone, past pat 1 of your stored cards. Alternatively, adhd a caller paper utilizing the + button, past prime it successful Wallet. Tap the "123" paper awesome astatine the top, past authenticate with Face ID oregon your passcode. Select Add Physical Card Information, and capable successful your paper details including name, number, expiry day (optional), and information code. It's a elemental summation successful iOS 26, but it brings the Wallet app person to being a broad paper absorption tool, filling the spread that third-party apps similar 1Password typically fill.

18. Check Remaining iPhone Charge Time

Instead of waiting astir oregon checking your artillery percent each fewer minutes, you tin present spot precisely however overmuch clip remains until your instrumentality reaches 100% erstwhile charging. Open Settings ➝ Battery, and look for the clip estimation displayed adjacent to the charging indicator. The estimation appears arsenic a elemental readout similar "18m" oregon "45m," giving you an contiguous reply to however agelong you'll request to hold for a afloat charge.

19. Make Your Favorite Podcasts Easier to Hear

Apple has yet caught up with rival podcast apps similar Overcast by adding an Enhance Dialogue diagnostic to the Podcasts app. The caller audio processing enactment isolates voices and makes them dependable clearer, which should beryllium perfect for immoderate mumbled existent transgression episodes oregon echo-heavy interrogation shows you perceive to. In the Podcasts app, unfastened the fullscreen playback controls, pat the playback velocity fastener (1x) successful the bottommost left, past pat the Enhance Dialogue toggle. The Podcasts app remembers your penchant for each idiosyncratic podcast, truthful you won't request to toggle it connected and disconnected each clip you power betwixt shows with antithetic audio prime standards.

20. Use Folders to Manage Music Playlists

Apple Music present has playlist folders, bringing the aforesaid organizational powerfulness that's agelong been disposable for photos and notes to your euphony collection. In the Playlist section, pat the + icon astatine the top, take New Folder... from the popup menu, springiness your folder a name, past pat Create. To determination playlists into the folder, simply agelong property one, take Move to... from the popup menu, thence the folder from All Playlists, past pat the reddish Move button.

21. Remix the Classic iPhone Ringtone

The iconic "Reflection" ringtone – introduced successful 2017 alongside the iPhone X – present has aggregate alternate versions successful iOS 26. While the archetypal code retains its acquainted pellucid xylophone melody, determination are six caller variants that bring caller vigor to the classic, including Buoyant, Dreamer, Pond, Pop, Reflected, and Surge. You tin find and prime the caller ringtones successful Settings ➝ Sound & Haptics ➝ Ringtone. Tap the chevron adjacent to Reflection to grow the database and uncover the caller versions. In an other Easter egg, Apple besides added a caller ringtone called Little Bird, which is chiseled from the caller Reflection options.

22. Control iPhone Camera With AirPods

In iOS 26, AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 travel with the quality to power iPhone photograph and video seizure utilizing AirPods stem gestures. To alteration the feature, link your AirPods to your iPhone, unfastened Settings, and pat your AirPods name. Scroll down to "Camera Control," past pat Camera Remote and take your preferred gesture: Press Once oregon Press and Hold. Once enabled, the diagnostic works seamlessly with the built-in Camera app. Wearing astatine slightest 1 paired AirPod, simply unfastened the Camera app and prime either Photo oregon Video mode, past framework your changeable arsenic you usually would. When you're acceptable to capture, usage your chosen AirPods motion to trigger the camera remotely.

23. Block Sensitive Content successful FaceTime

In ‌iOS 26‌, the Sensitive Content Warning and Communication Safety features are disposable for ‌FaceTime‌ video calls. When nudity is detected, the ‌FaceTime‌ video volition intermission and a informing astir nude contented volition beryllium displayed. To alteration the feature, spell to the Privacy & Security conception of the Settings app and toggle connected Sensitive Content Warning. Adults tin besides opt to crook connected Communication Safety successful the Screen Time conception of the Settings app.

24. Choose Time Zone for a Reminder

The Reminders app present lets you take clip zones. To acceptable 1 for each reminders, spell to Settings ➝ Apps ➝ Reminders ➝ Time Zone, crook connected Set Manually, past pat Time Zone and hunt for your preferred location. You tin besides delegate a antithetic clip portion to idiosyncratic reminders. When creating a caller reminder, pat Time, past prime the desired clip portion for that reminder.

25. Ask Reason for Calling

Apple has expanded telephone screening functionality successful ‌iOS 26‌, and determination is an enactment to inquire chartless callers (aka radical who you don't person saved successful your Contacts list) for their sanction and crushed for calling. Your iPhone tin intercept an incoming call, petition the person's sanction and a abbreviated crushed for calling. The accusation is transcribed to substance and relayed to you, and you tin determine whether to inquire for much information, judge the call, oregon diminution the call. To alteration the feature, spell to Settings ➝ Apps ➝ Phone, past toggle connected Ask Reason for Calling.

26. Stop Maps Tracking Your Visited Places

‌Apple Maps‌ is capable to support way of the places that you've visited, either successful your hometown oregon portion traveling. It tin way the restaurants, shops, parks, and landmarks that you spell to, truthful you tin look backmost and retrieve wherever you've been. You tin spot your Visited Places by opening up the Maps app, tapping connected your illustration picture, tapping connected Places, and past tapping into Visited Places. After you upgrade to ‌iOS 26‌, the Maps app pops up an alert letting you cognize astir the caller feature, truthful that you tin opt successful oregon opt out. If you opted successful but present find it creepy, crook it disconnected by going to Settings ➝ Apps ➝ Maps ➝ Location, and toggling disconnected Visited Places.
This article, "26 Hidden iOS 26 Tricks to Change How You Use Your iPhone" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com

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